01Owns
ABAP for S/4HANA
Writes modern ABAP with inline declarations, class-based design and Open SQL pushed down to the database, and retires custom code that standard S/4HANA now covers.
Hire · ERP platforms
Hire SAP Developers
Senior SAP developers who join your ERP or enterprise applications team to own ABAP, CDS models, Fiori apps and integrations. Each has completed a paid technical trial in an S/4HANA system covering a CDS view, a RAP business object and a clean-core extension decision.
Tested on S/4HANA, not only ECC
Senior, lead and architect levels only
Follows your transports and change control
On your team
What an SAP developer owns on your team.
02Owns
CDS views and RAP
Models data with CDS view entities and annotations, and builds transactional apps on the ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model with behaviour definitions.
03Owns
Fiori and UI5
Uses Fiori elements where floorplans fit and freestyle SAPUI5 where they do not, keeping apps consistent with the Fiori design guidelines.
04Owns
Clean-core extensions
Prefers released APIs, key user extensibility and side-by-side apps on SAP BTP over modifications, so upgrades stay predictable.
05Owns
Integration
Maintains IDoc, BAPI and OData interfaces and Cloud Integration flows on BTP, with monitoring and reprocessing that operations staff can use.
ABAP habits that separate S/4HANA engineers
An SAP developer who has only written classic reports and user exits will find S/4HANA unfamiliar. Look for comfort with CDS view entities, RAP, ABAP Test Cockpit checks and released APIs. Ask how they would build a new approval app today; the answer should mention RAP and Fiori elements rather than a dialogue transaction.
Vetting
Skills we test before an SAP developer joins.
01Tested
Performance on HANA
Code pushdown with CDS and AMDP where justified, avoiding SELECT in loops, and reading SQL traces and ATC findings.
02Tested
Transport management
Clean transport requests, dependency awareness across DEV, QAS and PRD, and gCTS or CTS+ where teams use them.
03Tested
Extensibility models
Understands the difference between on-stack developer extensibility, key user tools and side-by-side extension on BTP.
04Tested
Functional context
Reads business processes in finance, logistics or sales well enough to challenge a specification before writing code.
05Tested
BTP services
Cloud Application Programming Model, destinations, the ABAP environment on BTP and event-based integration through Event Mesh.
06Tested
Migration readiness
Runs custom code analysis for ECC to S/4HANA conversion and plans remediation by usage, not by object count.
Work sample
How the SAP developer work sample runs.
- 01Step 1
Model with CDS
The candidate builds a CDS view entity with associations and annotations for a sales report, and explains the authorisation check they added.
- 02Step 2
Create a RAP object
They implement a small managed RAP business object with validations and a determination. The exercise has a fixed time box and we pay for it.
- 03Step 3
Choose an extension route
Given a change request that would modify a standard program, they propose a clean-core alternative and set out the trade-offs.
- 04Step 4
Explain it to a process owner
They walk a finance or supply chain owner through what will change for users and how it will be tested.
Levels
SAP Developers: what changes at each level.
01Level 1
Senior
Builds reports, enhancements, Fiori apps and interfaces from functional specifications and reviews teammates’ transports.
02Level 2
Lead
Sets ABAP standards, ATC checks, extension rules and transport discipline, and coordinates with functional consultants on design.
03Level 3
SAP solution architect
Shapes the clean-core strategy, BTP landscape, integration architecture and the custom code plan for S/4HANA conversion.
Lead or architect for a conversion?
Ongoing support of a stable system suits a senior developer. A conversion from ECC, a move to RISE with SAP or a new BTP landscape needs someone who can plan custom code remediation, integration redesign and transport strategy across several teams. That is a lead at minimum, and often a solution architect.
Other options
When to hire someone other than an SAP developer.
01Consider
CRM-led sales processes
If the work centres on leads, opportunities and service cases in Salesforce, a Salesforce developer fits better.
Open register02Consider
Microsoft-based business systems
For custom enterprise apps built on .NET rather than SAP, a .NET developer is the closer match.
Open register03Consider
Cloud infrastructure around SAP
If the need is hosting, networking and automation for SAP landscapes, a cloud engineer is the right hire.
Open registerClean core in daily work
SAP’s guidance is to keep the core close to standard and put differentiation in extensions. In practice that means saying no to modifications, using business add-ins and key user tools, and moving larger additions to BTP. A good hire knows the released API list, checks it before designing and writes down the reason whenever an exception is unavoidable.
This discipline is what keeps future upgrades from turning into projects.
Access, transports and the first fortnight
SAP onboarding is slower than most because of authorisations and change control. Request developer keys, roles and system access before day one. Ask the developer to review open transports and recent ATC findings early; it reveals where technical debt sits and which interfaces fail most often.
FAQ
Questions to resolve before the build.
01Do your SAP developers know ECC as well as S/4HANA?
Yes. Most have maintained ECC systems, and the trial confirms they can write modern ABAP and CDS for S/4HANA. That combination matters during conversion projects.
02Will they work with our functional consultants?
That is the normal set-up. Developers turn functional specifications into technical designs, query gaps early and keep consultants informed of anything that changes user behaviour.
03What does clean core mean for our custom code?
It means extending SAP through released APIs and supported extension points instead of modifying standard objects. Candidates are tested on recognising when a request can be met that way and explaining the cost when it cannot.
Works alongside
Roles an SAP developer works best alongside.
01Pair with
Java developers
For enterprise services that exchange data with SAP through OData or messaging.
Open register02Pair with
Data analysts
To build reporting on top of CDS analytical models once they are reliable.
Open register03Pair with
UI/UX designers
When freestyle Fiori apps need research and flows before development begins.
Open registerProduct delivery
Need the whole product built instead?
Primary sources
References behind this page
Dated official documentation, standards, and research that support the factual claims on this page.
- 01SAP Help Portal: ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model
Official documentation for building RAP business objects.
- 02SAP Fiori Design Guidelines
SAP’s design guidance for Fiori apps and floorplans.
How to read this page
Scope, cost and timeline figures are planning guidance until confirmed in a written proposal. Diagrams and screens are illustrations, not client deliverables, and source-code rights and handover follow the signed agreement. See the delivery process and the full disclaimer.
Next decision
Turn the brief into an accepted product scope.
Define outcomes, constraints, evidence, rights and handover before delivery begins.
Commercial rights, repositories, environments, documentation, acceptance and handover remain contract-defined.